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Description

This document archives the senior art exhibition of Katie Hopkins ‘19. A reception for the 2019 Senior Art Exhibition occurred on Friday, April 12, 2019 in the Bush Art Center Galleries to celebrate the accomplishments of the graduating art class. Contained in the portfolio is Hopkins’ artist statement that accompanied her exhibition, a photo of her work in the context of the Baer Gallery taken on the night of the reception, and close ups of her three pieces: the oil painting Space Dog, four film stills and the tagline of the short film Withdrawn in lieu of the actual media, and the cover art, copyright information, and hero illustration of the published children’s book Gladys Pearl the Glad Camp Girl for which Hopkins did the illustrations.

Disciplines

Art and Design

Artist Statement

As a storyteller, I endeavor to create and show the world as it could be through my narratives. I have found that the best way to express the complex stories in my mind and broadcast them to the widest audience possible is to tell them through many different mediums. Through film, illustration, and painting I have been able to find the appropriate avenues and opportunities to tell stories that explore the topics of diversity, mental health, invisible illnesses and disabilities, and gender. The broader strokes of my storytelling seek to answer the questions: what is it like to live in the world as a human in this day and age? What are people interested in? What are they concerned about? And how do we continue to live in a time when change, fear and/or hate seems to constantly be on the horizon?

My narrative short film Withdrawn responds to the concern about our growing attachment to technology. The film follows a college student, played by fellow St. Norbert art major Nicki Sylvain 19’, as she goes about a free day attached to her phone. What would she feel if that technology was suddenly taken away from her? What would that look like as a scene in a film?

Through my illustrations in the published children’s book Gladys Pearl the GLAD Camp Girl I am able to communicate to young women the importance of believing in yourself, finding your confidence, and relying on the support system around you to get you through tough times. I also used my privilege as the illustrator to design and include a wide array of characters to look different than each other whether it be their hair, bodies, skin, or the way they dress in hopes of instilling a sense of tolerance and acceptance early for the next generation.

At the heart of it, we really only have one another. Whether you need a large group of people at the moment, or just yourself and your dog on a balcony in space, it is each other and the stories we tell that keep humanity going. Each of us has a responsibility to use the talents given to us to help shape the world we want to live in. We all are called to share our gifts with each other and for each other. Through film, illustration, painting, and anything else I explore in the future I will be able to reach wider audiences with the stories that I think humanity needs to hear, and hopefully it will bring us all a little closer together.